Life Before
by BriLady
Summary: Nahani and Windsong are the best of friends, living in a pack with five other wolves they couldn't be happier...that is until one day when the humans find their pack and all hell breaks loose.
1. Life Before

" Life Before"

The sun shone brightly on this day, a young she-wolf rested comfortably on the snow. Her fur was white as the snow she lay in, the black on her back slowly faded to a pale gray as it fell on to her sides. Her forest green eyes were closed, the fresh cut over her right eye lining up creating a solid vertical line. The large ears perched high upon her head twitched suddenly at a sound but before she could respond a male wolf tackled her to the earth. He was solid black except for the white on the very tip of his bushy tail. Standing over her he looked down upon her with a wolfish grin on his lips.The she-wolf growled lightly, warning him to back off. He snapped at he, grabbing her muzzle in his. Her ears instantly fold back and she falls silent.The breeze picks up; carrying a scent to the pair it was another wolf. Quickly the male releases the she-wolf and steps off, allowing her up just as the third wolf appeared over thehill.She wasa slender black she-wolf with brown around her ebony eyes as well as on her muzzle, down her chest and stomach.

" Windsong, Snowcutter…There you are!" She smiled at the pair below.

"Nahani!" The white she-wolfrolled onto her paws and barked happily at her friend. Nahani turned so she was facing the direction she had come from.

" Come on you guys, the rest of the pack is ready to move. Their just waiting for you two." She called over her shoulder before heading back to the pack. Windsong looked at the male, her ears folded back slightly; after a moment shethen took off after Nahani. Snowcutter paused then followed her.

The three re-joined the rest of the pack. Nahani walked off away from the rest of the group and Snowcutter took a seat beside a young gray and tan she-wolf named Hana, she was the newest member of the pack. Windsong on the other hand was confronted with two wolves, the elder male and female of the pack. She stopped in front of them and bowed her head respectfully.

"Elder Hoshi, Elder Tsuki." She looked at the old wolves as she said their names. The elders bowed their heads in return, then focused their eyes on the young wolf. Hoshi, the elder male picked up two long white feathers with black tips and tucked them in the fur on Windsong' s back between her shoulder blades. She looked at him with a big wolfish grin on her face. The elder lowered his gray muzzle to the young she-wolf who licked his face happily.

"Thank you Elder Hoshi!" She danced around, the feathers fluttering in the breeze. Hoshi looked proudly at the white wolf. Tsuki also watches Windsong, laughing lightly to herself.

"That is not all Windsong," Hoshi said. Windsong stopped at looked at the aging wolf.

" Yes, tonight you shall also receive your markings." The old female looked at the young wolf with a warm smile upon her lips. Windsong leaped towards the elders, rubbing her muzzle against theirs. All three wolves laughed happily. Just then another wolf appeared behind the old wolves. It was an adult she-wolf with fur the color of sand and eyes to match. Part of her right ear was missing, torn off in a battle long ago. A long, slender scar traced under her left eye. This she-wolf was the alpha of the pack, her mate killed two years ago by humans.

" Are we ready to head out?" she inquired to the elders.

"Yes we are." Tsuki said nodding her head.

" We'll have to leave now if we want to make it to the ruins by night fall" Hoshi added as they walked off. Just as the three adults left Nahani approached. She looked at the white-wolf who stood beaming.

"You two coming or what?" The alpha called to them.

"Coming Hikari!" Nahani barked. Turning to her friend she nodded in the direction of the rest of the pack. Windsong walked beside her and together they joined the pack. When Hikari was sure they were all accounted for they took off running towards an area called the Wolf Worshiper's Ruins. Windsong ran in the back, the black she-wolf at her side. She looked over at her friend from the corner of her eye. Not much was known of Nahani 's past, Hikari had found her wandering alone in a cemetery on the outskirts of a small city so she took her in as her own. No one knows what happened to her parents, whether they were killed or if they abandoned her. Windsong turned her eyes to the three adults ahead of them, the elders wolves ran slightly behind their daughter Hikari. Hoshi and Tsuki were very spiritual varg, believing that everything had a spirit and that with the correct concentration and willingness to learn, these spirits could be spoken with. Hikari didn't have the ambition to speak with the spirits, but her brother Yoru believed in nothing but. He and his mate, whose name is unknown, went on a quest to find spiritual peace, leaving their son Snowcutter to be raised by Hikari. The elders instead taught Windsong the ways of the spirits; Nahani also picked up on it rather quickly. After having lessons for the past few months both of them could speak with some of the spirits. Windsong can hear the voice of the wind and see images in the water, Nahani on the other hand can see images in fire and can hear the faint voice of the trees. Both had mastered one of the hardest ancient powers, the ability to transform into a human. All varg can trick the human's minds into seeing them as humans, but Nahani and Windsong could transform into humans, their physical features of any style they choose.

The pack continues to run, their paws pounding against the frozen earth. Something is different in the air, the elders pick up on it first, and after a moment Windsong can feel it too. The air seems heavier than before, even Nahani senses it.

" Something is different" Tsuki calls to her daughter. Hoshi nods his head in agreement.

" Yes, something is not right here. Perhaps we should turn back" Hikari shakes her head.

"We've almost reached the ruins. Only a few more miles." Her voice is full of confidence. The ruins begin to come into view, as they get closer the elders fears slowly melt away. Suddenly the air is filled with a low hum, then it becomes louder and louder, this sound is unknown to the pack but it's a sound Nahani knows to well. A wave of panic washed over the black she-wolf, she looked franticly from pack member to pack member.

"You guys have to run ahead!" She called to them all. "You have to get to the ruins as fast as you can!" The packs pace quickened, no one had ever seen humans before except for Nahani and she didn't want to see them now. Out of seemingly nowhere a large solid metal vehicle pulls up along side the pack, six humans hanging off it, each carrying a heavy gun in their hands. "Run!" Nahani yells. They can see the ruins just ahead of them, only another couple of miles and they will be safe. Gunfire suddenly fills the air, lighting up the night sky, followed by the crying of wolves. One by one they fall; the elders first, then Hana and Snowcutter. The young male uses his last ounce of strength to crawl up beside Hana and lick her face before passing on. Only Hikari, Windsong and Nahani are left standing. The three females split up and rush towards the armored vehicle that has unfairly stolen the lives of their family and friends. One of the humans gets Windsong in his sight and he fires, emptying half a magazine clip in the young she-wolfs direction. Hikari falls in front of Windsong; she had taken the humans attack for her.

"Hikari!" Windsong cries out. She licks at the alpha's face, but it's to late, she is already dead. Picking up her head she scans the area for Nahani, but the snow swirling around her makes it impossible to see. She lies down beside the leader and buries her head under her paws, whining softly.

When Windsong opens her eyes it is morning and the swirling snow has ceased, but Nahani is nowhere to be found. Her scent has completely vanished, swallowed up by the blizzard and lost under the aroma of death and wolf blood that hang heavily in the air. Sitting up she looks at her fallen friends, she throws back her head she let's out a long, mournful cry that hangs in the surrounding air, mixing with the death and blood. Suddenly she heard something on the wind, a responding howl. _"Nahani?" _She wondered to herself. _"No, it sounds like the elders." _The wind picks up swirling the snow around her, when it clears there before her stood two wolves. She gasps and steps back slightly. Stopping she looks at the wolves, they were the elders. Practically tripping over herself to find words she opens her mouth but nothing comes out. Tsuki laughs lightly at the young she-wolf. Hoshi looks at the female by his side,

"We haven't got much time." His voice is stern. Tsuki nods and looks upon Windsong, a warm smile on her wolven lips. Hoshi shifted into his human form; an elderly man with skin tanned from many years of in the sun. There is a red crescent moon painted under his right eye and stripes on his left arm. He reaches out to her, painting a red circle around her scarred eye as well as a bull's eye around her right elbow and right hip. Before she can open her mouth to say anything the snow swallows up the two wolves. Turning back around she sees the elderly wolves bodies where they had fallen, whom had she spoken with then? She ponders for a moment then something clicks in her mind, something Hoshi had taught her. The dead can be spoken with if they have the same connection with the spirits that you do. Windsong and Hoshi both could hear the voice of the wind, so in return for his kindness the wind allowed his spirit to carry on the breeze so he could perform his final task; giving Windsong her markings, proving that she could speak with the wind and see beyond in the water. Windsong sat in deep prayer for the souls of her friends until the last rays of sun had faded into the nothingness of night sky.

When the moon was high in the sky Windsong picked up her head and looked around her, the bodies of her friends lay scattered where they had fallen. Rising to the feet she shook the snow from her fur and walked up to the elders that lay side-by-side.

"You first." She said softly, as if talking to a child. Taking Hoshi's body by the scruff of his neck she dragged him to the ruins. When she reached the ruins she began to dig a hole between two large stone statues of wolves. The larger one was Fenris, the wolf god of the sun, and the other slightly smaller statue was Tor, the wolf goddess of the moon. Upon finishing the hole she nudged the elder varg into it and then replaced the dirt. She did this with every member of the pack until they all had been properly laid to rest between Tor and Fenris. Padding over to the statue of Tor she looks up at the stone she-wolf, her muzzle pointed at the full moon. Windsong turned her head to the nothingness of the empty sky and howled, her haunting melody carried along by the wind for all to hear.


	2. Beginning A New Life

"A New Life"

Born in a dirty back alley in a small, dying city her future already looked bleak. The mother looked down upon this new fragile form with weak and weary eyes. Her offspring smiled back at her, staring up with eyes the color of a raven feather. She was full of curiosity even though she had only entered her first few minutes of life. A second pair of stern, slightly hardened eyes stare down at the new life form. Opening her mouth a cry comes forth, a high-pitched sound, more like a squeak then anything. The parents look at each other, then to their child laughing lightly. The male looked at his mate.

"What shall we call her?" he inquired turning his eyes back to his offspring. She ponders at the question her mate has implied.

"Nahani." The new mother smiles and licks the top of the pup's head whose eyes close at the feel of her mother's tongue pressed against her head. Suddenly everything around the pup fades away, opening her eyes she finds herself no longer a pup, but a full-grown she-wolf. Her ebony eyes gaze out between the bars of the cage she finds herself imprisoned in. Her head is pounding; she can hear her blood pulsing in her ears. Rubbing her face against the solid metal flooring of the cage she tries to make it stop, after a moment she let's her head fall back to the ground in defeat. Crossing a paw over her muzzle she sighs as she closes her eyes. Slowly she drifts back to sleep, praying she'll wake back up as a pup nuzzled up beside her mother.

When her eyes open she finds herself still trapped inside the small cage. The throbbing in her head has faded away, slowly she rises to her feet. Sticking her muzzle out between the bars she sniffs at the air, everything around her it totally new, all the sights and sounds and scents. A scent passes her nose that causes her to sneeze. The aroma lingers in the air, it makes her feel calm and relaxed, as if she is floating on a cloud. Suddenly another scent fills the air, this one is thick and heavy, causing her to come crashing down from the peaceful moment. Footsteps come thundering down the hallway, coming closer and closer to the cage. Folding her ears back she growls, her fur on her back standing on end. She's not sure what it means but the voice in her head is telling to she has to fight whatever is coming towards her. A human enters the room, he has on a black shirt and gray pants, the artier of the employees at the lab she is being held in. The man speaks to her,

"Calm down girl, I'm not going to hurt you." He smiles softly, although she can smell the fear on him. Slowly he reaches out and opens the door to the cage. The second it opens she leaps forth and tackles the man, latching her fangs onto his throat. She picks her head up quickly at the sound of more people coming down the hall. Raising her tail she runs down the hall the now dead man had come from, tearing past two boys, one had shaggy brown hair, a greenish jacket and blue jeans. The boy beside him had a yellow hooded t-shirt with a white long-sleeve shirt under it, his head covered in frizzy yellowish hair. They watched as the slender black she-wolf torn by them.

"What the hell?!" the frizzy haired boy cried out as she practically ran him over. She vanished around the corner just as a group of humans hunting the wolf down came down the hall. Quickly the frizzy haired boy grabbed the other boy by the collar of his shirt.

"C'mon Kiba!" He pulled him into a room.

"Hige wait!" Kiba began to protest but was cut off by Hige. He pulled the door shut just as the humans ran by.

"Where the hell did she go?" One of the men yelled.

"She couldn't of gotten to far. Split up!" Another man cried out. Three of the men continued down the hall in the direction she had gone. The other two searched another near-by corridor.

As all of this was happening Nahani had found a small door, the entrance to one of the air vents. Pushing it open with her nose she crawled inside. The metal was cold on her paws, but the air circulating through the vents was much colder, it seemed to sink through her skin and chill her to the bone, she continued onward nonetheless. Suddenly part of the vent gave way and she fell with the square metal tubing. Hitting the ground with an unpleasant sound, the tubing crashing around her; she stayed completely still until silence washed over the area. Perking her ears forward she listened intently for any sounds at all, nothing. Giving a sigh of relief she shook out her fur and surveyed the new surrounding with her ebony eyes.She found herself in an empty back alley.The street was coated in trash, a dumpster to her right was over-flowing with molding garbage. Her dark coat hiding her well in the shadows she can see the main street from where she stands. Humans walking from place to place, living out their daily lives, totally unaware of the creature that stood hidden only a few feet away. She watched them carefully, studying the ways they moved and behaved. One human paused in front of the alley. He was dressed in a white coat, short sandy blond hair covering his head. He paused right in front of the alley-way she lay hidden in and sneezed rather violently.

"Ugh, allergies." He sniffled and rubbed his nose before carrying on. Nahani tilted her head to the side and took a small step forward, a little closer to the street, still hidden by the dumpster. A strange feeling suddenly over came her body, a warm, tingling sensation that seemed to fill her from the tips of her ears to the end of her tail. She stands up from behind the dumpster, no longer a slender black wolf, but a young woman with waist length white hair, the tips a deep crimson red. Looking down she saw herself clad in a white tube top, faded blue jeans and heavy black army style boots. Her eyes, which were no longer an empty shade of ebony, but a light, icy blue gazed at her human hands, the fishnet sleeves on her arms clung tightly.

"I'm a, human?" she whispers to herself. "But how?" she falls silent, as if waiting for someone to answer her. Turning her icy blue eyes to the gray and empty sky she seems to be searching for answers. "What happened to me?" her voice is soft, even for a whisper. "Why don't I remember my life? My past? Anything at all before waking up in this strange place?" Her shoulders rise and fall as she gives out a heavy sigh. Stepping out from behind the dumpster she goes to walk out into the massive flood of people when three teenage boys step in front of her, blocking her path. They all look to be between the ages of eighteen and twenty. One of them is broader and huskier then the rest, he takes a step towards Nahani.

"Hey bitch," an evil type grin smeared across his unshaven face, he eyes her carefully. "You look new around here. You don't you, ahem, come with us?" a seductive tone to his deep and equally husky voice. The other two men look at each other and give a light chuckle, then whistle at her. Nahani gives this man and his posse a slight glare but she keeps quiet. After a moment of waiting for her to speak another member of the gang becomes slightly agitated with her and steps forward, giving her a shove.

"Speak up you stupid wench!" he yells. She stumbles backwards from the force of his rough hands pushing against her shoulders. The three men gathered around her in a circle, pushing her back and forth between each member of the group.

"C'mon bitch, c'mon!" the say to her as she is passed from one person to the next. Round and round the circle it seems as if it will never stop. Suddenly something awakens deep within her, a voice and the voice tells her to fight back. A low and loud growl comes from within her throat, her once icy blue eyes fade into an emotionless black. The husky man grabs her suddenly so she is facing the other two, his hands planted firmly on her shoulders. As the other two march towards her slowly she waits until they are standing at arms length before she suddenlykicks her leg straight up, high kicking one of the men in the jaw. He instantly stumbles the other way, clearly taken off guard by her fighting back. With the larger guy still holding her back she can't run; the second man slaps her hard across the face as the other sits on the ground still slightly shaken by her powerful kick to his chin. He goes to strike her again but she turns her head and catches his hand in her mouth, her wolfish fangs showing although she is in human form. Blood streams rather steadily from his hand, his eyes wide he steps back beside the man she had kicked. The firm hands on her shoulders spin her around so she is facing the husky built man, the veins in his forehead a showing slightly, she shrinks down a little. For a reason unknown to her the growl returns to her throat, she wants to silence it but it will not, it only grows in intensity. He glares at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He cries out, eyeing his comrades over her shoulder. Raising his large, rough hand he strikes her across the face. Letting out a little cry as his hand connects with her face, she lifts her head and looks at him, tears glisten in her eyes. He hits her once more, this time she keeps her head lowered, the growling still coming from deep within her throat. Turning her head slightly she glares at him out of the corner of her eyes full of hate and anger. "What are you going to do bitch? Huh? You going to fight back?" his voice taunting and nagging at her, daring her to fight him. Suddenly she let's out a sound that resembles a war cry as she throws all her weight forwards into him, knocking him to the ground. Driving her wolf fangs into his throat she feels his warm, sweet blood pouring like a river from his neck. The other two guys quickly jump to their leaders aid but it is to late, he is already dead. They each grab one of her arms and slam her up against the brick wall, her lips dripping with their boss's blood.

"What the HELL are you?!" one cries out. She squirms trying to get out of their grasp, her eyes still colored by empty blackness. A slight wave of fear washes over the two men like a wave on the beach. The scent of fear flooded her nose. Just then another scent passed by her nose, the smell of another like her, another wolf. The sound of cloth in the breeze is heard behind the men, followed by the light _'Tap' _of boots touching the pavement. A hand was dropped heavily onto the men's shoulders.

"You know, it's not nice to pick on ladies." This stranger raised his eyebrows and gave a smirk before pulling on the men's shoulders causing them to fly backwards landing on their butts. Turning his attention back to Nahani as the two men scamper away he gives her a warm smile. "Are you alright miss..?" unable to finish his sentence he waits for her to fill in the blank.

"Nahani." The slight trace of a smile can be found on her lips as her eyes slowly fade back to the icy blue they once were.

"Nahani," he repeats her. "That is a beautiful name." He smiles still. She picks her head up a little so she can see her savior. He looks to be about eighteen, with blonde hair that falls just around his ears, a brown t-shirt with a wide collar on it and a white long sleeve shirt under it. A thick, heavy belt with an equally heavy gold belt buckle, baggy black cargopants as well as large brown work boots finishes his outfit. His warm, friendly green eyes are half hidden by the strands of loose blonde hair that hang down under the goggles that he wears like a headband. "So, Miss Nahani, are you injured?" He notes the red mark on her face from where the men slapped her. She shakes her head slightly while placing a hand on her face, she can feel her blood pounding on her cheek where she was hit.

"No," her voice is soft and submissive. "I'm fine." Looking at her savior from the corner of her eye she smiles softly, a slight blush appearing on her face. Silence falls over the two wolves. The boy raises his brows suddenly then rubs the back of his head.

"How rude of me, I never told you my name." He laughs lightly, feeling rather stupid for his ungentlemanly like error. "I'm Sage." He holds out his hand towards her, which after a moment Nahani takes and shakes gently. Sage takes his other hand and places it on her cheek. After a moment he let's his hand drop to his side as she let's his other hand go. He looks over his shoulder at the dead man, then back to Nahani whose lips are tainted with blood. Grabbing her hand he begins to lead her away. "We should get out of here before those two men get back here." They weave through the back alleys, over a chain-link fence, past countless trashcans and little shops. He climbs onto a dumpster and them clambers onto the roof of an old, dilapidated building. She follows him as he slides down a hole in the roof, landing on the wooden floor. Nahani looks around the room, its dusty and empty except for the sofa that lay hidden in the corner, covered by a white sheet.A chill from the wind blows infrom a single broken window, opposite from the couch. A small puddle of water has collected on the floor as it drips from the ceiling. "Welcome to my home Miss Nahani." Sage wanders over to the couch and hops onto it, dust flying out of the cushion as he does. "You'll be safe here until things calm down. Make yourself at home." Nahani eyes the puddle on the floor for a moment before walking over to it. Kneeling in front of this miniature pond she wets her hands in it and wipes her face clean of blood. Sage watches her from his spot on the sofa, a smile on his face. Nahani stands and looks at him, he gestures for her to come and sit beside him. Rising to her feet she wipes her hands on her jeans and slowly walks over to him. Sage's smile widens a little as she seats herself beside him on the old, worn out sofa.

"So, Miss Nahani. You seem new to these parts." Nahani turns her head towards him for a moment then shrugs, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." She says while placing her head in her hands, letting out a small sigh. Sage gives her a slightly puzzled look.

"You guess?" he raises a brow as his smile fades a little. Nodding she glances at him from the corner of her icy blue eyes. Opening her mouth she goes to explain what had happened to her before he saved her, but she remains silent.

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you." She finally says. He leans forward so he is face to face with her, his expression challenges her with an 'Oh yeah? Try me' kind of look. Closing her eyes she sighs again, this one is longer and deeper then the previous one. When her icy eyes open she pauses for a moment, then turns her body so she is more or less facing Sage. "Well," she begins. " I woke up in a small, metal cage. There were humans everywhere, I could smell them. After escaping from the cage I crawled through some metal tubing that was, until it gave way and I landed in the alley. I hid behind a dumpster for a little while, watching the humans." She pauses not quite sure how to explain what happened next. As Sage waited for her to continue he stood up and shifted into the form of a wolf, his fur the color of sand, the goggles still on the top of his head. Hopping back onto the couch he curled up, resting his head on his paws.

"Continue." He said as he flickered one ear. Closing her eyes for a moment she let's out and sigh, then opens her eyes.

" Well," she paused. " As I was watching the humans walking by my body, it became warm, and when I looked at my paws, they weren't paws anymore, they were human hands." Silence overcame her. Sage looked her over and nodded.

"Can you change back?" she gave him a rather puzzled face. He sighs. "You weren't a humans when you left that building right?" She nods. "If you turned into a human, then you must be able to change back to your true form." Nahani stands up and closes her icy blue eyes. She focuses her mind on the wolf, just as she had done with the humans. After a moment the warm sensation fills her from head to toe, slowly her eyes open and she is back to her wolven form. Sage smiled at her, she was a beautiful wolf indeed. Her ebony eyes widen as a grin comes to her lips.

"It worked Sage-kun!" she pranced around the dirty room like a pup. After a moment she stopped and stretched then yawned, all of her fangs showing. Sage's tail thumps the couch cushion.

"Why don't you rest for a little while Miss Nahani? From what you have told me, today has been rather crazy for you." Nahani nodded in agreement and hopped onto the old couch, curling into a black furry ball, her muzzle disappearing into her bushy tail. He watched her until he was positive she was asleep before laying his head down and going to sleep.


End file.
